Scarface (1932)

An ambitious and nearly insane violent gangster climbs the ladder of success in the mob, but his weaknesses prove to be his downfall.

From memory: Not just a gangster film classic, but arguably the genre's ultimate masterpiece: a wildly lively, violent, powerful, and realistic crime saga never loses its grip on the audience.

Halliwell****: "Obviously modelled on Al Capone, with an incestuous sister thrown in, this was perhaps the most vivid film of the gangster cycle, and its revelling in its own sins was not obscured by its subtitle, The Shame of a Nation."

Maltin***1/2: "Powerful gangster film is the most potent of the 1930s, with Muni delivering emotionally charged  performance...Raw, harsh, and brimming with unsubtle symbolism..."

You and Me (1938)

An altruistic department-store owner hires ex-convicts in order to give them a second chance at life, and one of them marries a co-worker, unaware she's on parole.

Strange mixture of romance, crime drama, comedy and musical (music by Kurt Weill!) does show Fritz Lang's signature moments and some great Noir photography, but simply doesn't add up to a convincing story; and George Raft seems at loss cast as a good-guy ex-convict.

Halliwell (no star): "Curious comedy drama which never has a hope of coming off."